


Headspace

by NorthernGhost



Series: The NoGho DLC Files [2]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Side Story, Story "DLC"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23701480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthernGhost/pseuds/NorthernGhost
Summary: While inside an ancient bunker, Aloy begins to doubt her own thoughts and memories, but Talanah is determined to ground her, once again.
Relationships: Aloy/Talanah Khane Padish
Series: The NoGho DLC Files [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668388
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Headspace

**Author's Note:**

> Another little idea I had kicking around while writing [The Dust](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22143973/chapters/52857691).
> 
> Technically this is set more or less between the last 2 chapters, but yet again, my hope is that you could also read this out of context and still follow along.
> 
> If you have read that story, though, hopefully this is a "fun" little aside that wasn't shown in the main story.
> 
> Angst seems to be all I know these days.
> 
> Also I possibly wrote this slightly inebriated and edited later... again.
> 
> Enjoy!

As the Banuk girls turned to enter their room, Aloy let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she began to turn toward her own door that Ara had shown them to. Before she could attempt to turn the lock, Talanah grabbed her wrist, stopping her.  


“You okay?”  


“Can we talk about this inside?”  


The Carja woman frowned, but nodded, releasing her wrist and allowing her to turn the holographic lock. As they entered the room beyond, they found that it was rather bare, with a few metal crates stacked in the far corner, but otherwise the room was comprised of nothing but an empty, metal floor.  


“Feels just like home…” Talanah sighed.  


“It’s not the sand outside an old casino,” Aloy pointed out.  


The Carja woman gave her an interesting look for a moment but ultimately shrugged.  


“Don’t know, I could see the sky, there.”  


The redhead nodded, yawning before rubbing at her temples tiredly.  


“Speaking of which, it is the middle of the night…”  


“Tired?”  


“Head hurts, so… maybe.”  


As Aloy removed her bedroll from her person, tossing it onto the floor, she caught Talanah giving her a doubtful look.  


“It’s not… because of… you know…?”  


The redhead sighed, kneeling down to begin untying her bedroll, only to feel Talanah’s hand fall on her shoulder, prompting her to pause.  


“Aloy, that’s not an answer…”  


She sighed, undoing the knot on her bedroll and shoving it open across the floor before rising to her feet, once again.  


“I’ll be fine, Tal.”  


The Carja woman sighed, shaking her head as she rubbed at her eyes tiredly.  


“Earlier tells me that may not be the case.”  


“How so?”  


“How so?!”  


Aloy recoiled at Talanah’s response as the Carja woman quickly sucked in a breath through her teeth.  


“I’m sorry, just… it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you… act like that and… by the Sun, you had me worried.”  


“Why?”  


Both women froze for a moment before the raven-haired woman met her gaze once again.  


“Why…?”  


Aloy swallowed nervously as Talanah stepped forward, gripping the redhead by her upper arms.  


“Aloy… I _love_ you, that’s why,” she said insistently. “Any time you’re not… happy and fine and—all that… I worry.”  


“I know, I know,” the redhead sighed, bowing her head, only for the Carja’s fingers to slip beneath her chin, lifting it to meet her gaze, once again.  


“Aloy… this is why I asked if you’re okay. Talk.”  


“About what?” the redhead snapped.  


“Anything!” Talanah sighed. “What’s running through your head right now?”  


“What’s going through my head? A lot of shit!”  


The redhead twisted away from the Carja woman, beginning to pace about the room.  


“This… this place, I feel like I know it but… I’ve never been here!”  


“Do you think—?”  


“I was here before? No.”  


“I… uh… I didn’t…”  


“But, I feel like… I _know_ this place,” Aloy continued, seemingly ignoring her. “How? How do I know this place?”  


“You—”  


“My head’s all kinds of fucked up, I know.”  


“Aloy—”  


“I’ve figured that much so far…”  


Talanah stepped in front of the redhead, stopping her pacing as she grabbed her arms, shaking her forcefully.  


“Aloy, stop, just… stop.”  


The redhead paused her ranting as she detected the tremble in the Carja woman’s voice, her jaw clenching as she avoided her eyes as best she could.  


“You know I know… but… you haven’t been this bad in a while and…”  


“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”  


“Don’t be—at least, not for how you’re feeling, but… dammit, Aloy, I want to be here for you and you keep trying to just… collapse in on yourself…”  


The redhead suddenly pushed forward, slipping from Talanah’s grasp and wrapping her in a tight embrace. The Carja woman quickly returned it, wrapping her arms around the redhead with a tight insistence that she knew she could take, but was just enough that the raven-haired huntress was able to convince herself she wasn’t going to slip away so easily, once again.  


“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”  


Talanah buried her face in the locks of red hair, now streaked with hints of silver, beside her neck as she kept her grip as firm as possible around her.  


“I’m always here for you, no matter what,” she breathed. “I’m not going anywhere… and you can’t get rid of me that easily.”  


The redhead let out a sound that was halfway between a sob and a laugh as Talanah felt the grip around her tighten even further, prompting a pang of something painful to run through her chest. Suddenly, the Carja woman realized that Aloy’s weight was beginning to drag her toward the ground, and she carefully lowered the two of them until they ended up in a mostly seated position, with the redhead quickly adjusting herself so that her head was propped against Talanah’s collar bone.  


“I know… places like this have been a lot for you,” the Carja woman said softly, gently running one hand through the loose portions of Aloy’s hair, “and you didn’t have a chance to prepare for this…”  


“Should be ready, any time…” the redhead mumbled.  


“But I know you can’t be,” Talanah sighed, gently placing a kiss on the crown of Aloy’s head. “I know… in front of Anukai and Ikrie you’re… more concerned…”  


“Terrified.”  


The Carja woman paused for a moment before tightening her grip around the redhead, once again.  


“That’s why I’m here.”  


“I know…”  


“So please don’t ask me _why_ I care…”  


“I’m sorry…”  


Talanah felt the redhead nestle more firmly against her chest as she sighed, stroking Aloy’s hair, once again.  


“I know—I _hope_ —this will pass like the others…” the redhead mumbled.  


“It will…”  


“And _you_ say that every time…”  


“And it has, right?”  


Finally, Aloy tilted her head upward to try to see Talanah better, prompting the Carja to offer her a sad smile.  


“Usually.”  


“Usually?”  


The raven-haired woman sighed, leaning her head forward so that her chin pressed against Aloy’s forehead.  


“There’ve been times I’ve… wondered…  


“Wondered what?”  


Talanah quickly shook her head, pulling it away from the redhead.  


“Sorry, it’s… not important right now.  


“No. Tell me.”  


“No, you’re—”  


“Talanah—Khane—Padish…”  


The Carja woman sighed as Aloy began to push herself away from her, trying to prop herself up, but the raven-haired woman quickly held her tighter, stopping her from doing so.  


“Aloy, you know I love you… I’ve said it… I don’t know how many times…”  


“I can say it to you more.”  


“That’s not what I meant,” Talanah sighed. “I… when I first met you… everything right after that made me wonder—at first—if that was… _you_ …”  


“Tal…”  


“And at times,” she continued, refusing to let herself be interrupted, “when things like—this—happen… I just… no, I’m a terrible person for thinking it.”  


“Tell me.”  


“No, I—”  


“Talanah, by the Goddess, tell me what you’re thinking, right now.”  


The Carja woman paused for a moment, staring into space before glancing down at the redhead before her.  


“You mean—?”  


“Specifics aren’t important,” the redhead said, waving dismissively. “What do you think at times?”  


Talanah stared down at her for a few moments before sighing heavily, tilting her head forward and burying her face in the head of red-and-silver hair before her.  


“I still remember wondering… if the memories—the feelings—you had were… _yours_ … were real.”  


The redhead froze for a moment before her head began to tilt and Talanah pulled away slightly, until their eyes met, once again.  


“Talanah… I…”  


“I know, it’s… not important right now and—”  


She was cut short as Aloy insistently pressed upward into a kiss, shoving the Carja’s words back down her throat. After what felt like several minutes locked against each other’s lips, Aloy pulled away gently, leaving the raven-haired woman trailing after her slightly.  


“How many times have we had this conversation?” the redhead sighed.  


“Too many.”  


“And how many times do I tell you I feel the same?”  


“Every time… but I like hearing you say it.”  


Aloy laughed softly, burying her head against Talanah’s chest, once again.  


“For this long—with all the things we’ve been through—and still onward… it’s the same for me.”  


“That’s not—”  


“I love you, too, Tal. You know that.”  


The Carja found herself grinning as she gently rocked the redhead before her.  


“Like I said—”  


“You like hearing me say it, I know, I know…”  


“Hey, do you _not_ like hearing _me_ say it?!”  


Aloy’s arms tightened around Talanah, once again, as she shook her head as best she could against the Carja’s chest.  


“No, no, please don’t stop…”  


“I won’t, I just…”  


“I love you, too, Tal, I-I mean it.”  


The Carja opened her mouth to reply, but found her words caught in her throat until she finally sighed, leaning her face forward into her wife’s hair, once again.  


“I know… I know…”


End file.
